Method for content synchronization and replacement

ABSTRACT

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a method, including: receiving, by a processing system including a processor, a request to play content; querying, by the processing system, for matches between the content and a user library; receiving, by the processing system, recommendations for alternate content of the user library and associated cue points in the content; and presenting, by the processing system, portions of the content and presenting other portions of the content replaced with the alternate content at the associated cue points. Other embodiments are disclosed.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/552,552 filed on Dec. 16, 2021, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 16/364,925 filed on Mar. 26, 2019 (now U.S.Pat. No. 11,232,129). All sections of the aforementioned application(s)and/or patent(s) are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The subject disclosure relates to a method for synchronizing contentand/or replacing content.

BACKGROUND

To stay engaged, users are given many choices for quality, cost, andexperiences given the growth of content. In one case, content creatorsmay indicate that different, alternate pieces of content may besynchronized with their primary content. Additionally, the advent ofsocially shared and manipulated content has allowed users to createmash-ups or additional content tracks for existing sources, but notechnology allows the easy integration and synchronization of these newassets.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are notnecessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary, non-limitingembodiment of a communications network in accordance with variousaspects described herein.

FIG. 2A is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limitingembodiment of a system functioning within the communication network ofFIG. 1 in accordance with various aspects described herein.

FIG. 2B depicts an illustrative embodiment of methods in accordance withvarious aspects described herein.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limitingembodiment of a virtualized communication network in accordance withvarious aspects described herein.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of acomputing environment in accordance with various aspects describedherein.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of amobile network platform in accordance with various aspects describedherein.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of acommunication device in accordance with various aspects describedherein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject disclosure describes, among other things, illustrativeembodiments for content synchronization and context-sensitive audiomixing and replacement. With the advent of audio fingerprinting andtools for audio semantic classification, a system may be created toopportunistically discover alternate pieces of content in a user librarythat are suitable for synchronization with the creator's originalcontent. In one embodiment, suggestions for synchronization can beprovided by the original author or by suggestions from an automatedrecommendation system. Other embodiments are described in the subjectdisclosure.

One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include a method,comprising: receiving, by a processing system including a processor, arequest to play content; querying, by the processing system, for matchesbetween the content and a user library; receiving, by the processingsystem, recommendations for alternate content of the user library andassociated cue points in the content; and presenting, by the processingsystem, portions of the content and presenting the alternate contentthat replaces other portions of the content at the associated cuepoints.

One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include a device, having aprocessing system including a processor; and a memory that storesexecutable instructions that, when executed by the processing system,facilitate performance of operations, including receiving a request toplay content; querying for matches between the content and a userlibrary; receiving recommendations for alternate content of the userlibrary and associated cue points in the content; and presentingportions of the content and presenting other portions of the contentmixed with the alternate content at the associated cue points.

One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include a machine-readablemedium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by aprocessing system including a processor, facilitate performance ofoperations, the operations comprising: requesting to play content;querying for matches between the content and a user library; receivingrecommendations for alternate content of the user library and associatedcue points in the content; and presenting portions of the content andpresenting other portions of the content mixed with the alternatecontent at the associated cue points.

Referring now to FIG. 1 , a block diagram is shown illustrating anexample, non-limiting embodiment of a communications network 100 inaccordance with various aspects described herein. For example,communications network 100 can facilitate in whole or in part providingcontent to system 200, collecting crowd-sourced semantic and time cuepoints for content replacement and mixing, and communicatingrecommendations therefrom. In particular, a communications network 125is presented for providing broadband access 110 to a plurality of dataterminals 114 via access terminal 112, wireless access 120 to aplurality of mobile devices 124 and vehicle 126 via base station oraccess point 122, voice access 130 to a plurality of telephony devices134, via switching device 132 and/or media access 140 to a plurality ofdisplay devices 144 via media terminal 142. In addition, communicationnetwork 125 is coupled to one or more content sources 175 of audio,video, graphics, text and/or other media. While broadband access 110,wireless access 120, voice access 130 and media access 140 are shownseparately, one or more of these forms of access can be combined toprovide multiple access services to a single client device (e.g., mobiledevices 124 can receive media content via media terminal 142, dataterminal 114 can be provided voice access via switching device 132, andso on).

The communications network 125 includes a plurality of network elements(NE) 150, 152, 154, 156, etc. for facilitating the broadband access 110,wireless access 120, voice access 130, media access 140 and/or thedistribution of content from content sources 175. The communicationsnetwork 125 can include a circuit switched or packet switched network, avoice over Internet protocol (VoIP) network, Internet protocol (IP)network, a cable network, a passive or active optical network, a 4G, 5G,or higher generation wireless access network, WIMAX network,UltraWideband network, personal area network or other wireless accessnetwork, a broadcast satellite network and/or other communicationsnetwork.

In various embodiments, the access terminal 112 can include a digitalsubscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM), cable modem terminationsystem (CMTS), optical line terminal (OLT) and/or other access terminal.The data terminals 114 can include personal computers, laptop computers,netbook computers, tablets or other computing devices along with digitalsubscriber line (DSL) modems, data over coax service interfacespecification (DOCSIS) modems or other cable modems, a wireless modemsuch as a 4G, 5G, or higher generation modem, an optical modem and/orother access devices.

In various embodiments, the base station or access point 122 can includea 4G, 5G, or higher generation base station, an access point thatoperates via an 802.11 standard such as 802.11n, 802.11ac or otherwireless access terminal. The mobile devices 124 can include mobilephones, e-readers, tablets, phablets, wireless modems, and/or othermobile computing devices.

In various embodiments, the switching device 132 can include a privatebranch exchange or central office switch, a media services gateway, VoIPgateway or other gateway device and/or other switching device. Thetelephony devices 134 can include traditional telephones (with orwithout a terminal adapter), VoIP telephones and/or other telephonydevices.

In various embodiments, the media terminal 142 can include a cablehead-end or other TV head-end, a satellite receiver, gateway or othermedia terminal 142. The display devices 144 can include televisions withor without a set top box, personal computers and/or other displaydevices.

In various embodiments, the content sources 175 include broadcasttelevision and radio sources, video on demand platforms and streamingvideo and audio services platforms, one or more content data networks,data servers, web servers and other content servers, and/or othersources of media.

In various embodiments, the communications network 125 can includewired, optical and/or wireless links and the network elements 150, 152,154, 156, etc. can include service switching points, signal transferpoints, service control points, network gateways, media distributionhubs, servers, firewalls, routers, edge devices, switches and othernetwork nodes for routing and controlling communications traffic overwired, optical and wireless links as part of the Internet and otherpublic networks as well as one or more private networks, for managingsubscriber access, for billing and network management and for supportingother network functions.

FIG. 2A is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limitingembodiment of a system 200 functioning within the communication networkof FIG. 1 in accordance with various aspects described herein. As shownin FIG. 2A, a content creator creates original content 211. In anembodiment, the original content 211 may comprise a low fidelity audiocontent. The content creator may also include explicit cue points 212within the original content 211. Such cue point may be defined in aunique way to the content and time point within original content 211,such as a digital fingerprint 231. Additionally, a cue point 212 cancontain a brief semantic description of the content in the accompanyingcontent. For example, a semantic description may describe the audio(music) as “scary” or “solemn”. Using machine learning algorithms,software is available that will analyze the spectral characteristics ofaudio and generate a semantic score or probability (e.g., a continuousnumber between zero (0) and one (1)) that indicates the strength of thedetected semantic. In one embodiment, semantics come from apre-determined list. The content creator then provides original content211 to system 200, which provides a marketplace 240 of recommendationsfor discovery of content replacements—embedded markers and time accesspoints that allow placeholder content to be replaced, mixed, etc. withany number of streams.

A user library 220 may also be a source for alternate content 221 to beindexed by the marketplace 240. For example, the alternate content 221may be an audio track that replaces an existing audio track in theoriginal content 211, such as an alternate dialog, alternate backgroundmusic, alternate sound effects, etc. In an embodiment, the alternatecontent 221 may supplement the original content 211. For example, thealternate content 221 may provide background music (where there wasnone), additional sound effects, etc. In addition, the supplementalcontent creator may provide specific cue points 222 defining where thealternate content 221 should augment the original content 211. Whenusing system 200, the supplemental content creator provides alternatecontent 221 along with specific cue points 222 to original content 211to the marketplace 240.

As original content 211 and alternate content 221 are provided tomarketplace 240, system 200 may perform an analysis 230 of the content.The analysis 230 may include applying digital fingerprints 231 to thecue points in the content to uniquely identify the cue points, so thatsame content of different fidelity that can be synchronized with thecontent, etc. The analysis 230 may also include automatically detecting233 cue points within the content. Such cue points may be generated atdramatic changes in the content, such as a new scene, change in music,entrance of a new character, change of musical tempo or frequency, etc.The cue points may be embedded as metadata in the content, or they maybe stored in a separate database in the marketplace 240.

A user may begin to play original content 211 on a user device 210. Asthe original content 211 begins, the marketplace 240 is queried for anyaugmentation of the original content 211. Marketplace 240 can provide ascoring feature to gauge the effectiveness of content replacements oraugmentations. For example, marketplace 240 can gather metrics on thenumber of views and augmentations of particular content based onviewership 243 as a measure of popularity. Biometric 244 measurementscan be made of the user to determine suitable content replacements. Forexample, if biometric 244 measurements reveal that the user is sedate,but semantic metadata 212 embedded in the original content 211 indicatesthat excitement should be generated, then marketplace 240 may recommendalternate content 221 that should increase the level of excitement,based on the semantic metadata 212. In one embodiment, aggregatedbiometrics 244 may be previously associated with a particular semanticthat is known by the marketplace 240. Here, the marketplace 240 maymanipulate the semantic scoring 232 for content playback by combiningthe automatic score with that of the aggregated biometrics 244. Forexample, if the original semantic indicates “exciting” music butaggregated user biometrics indicated “scared,” the system 200 maypropose a “suspenseful” final result to be used in the marketplace 240matching function. In another embodiment, the proposed final result maygradually change over time to achieve the desired original semantic bychanging the weights (influence) of the currently detected biometric 244and the semantic metadata 212. Additionally, static recommendations 245may be utilized directly from explicit cue points 212 within theoriginal content 211 or the alternate content 221. In one embodiment,static recommendations 245 can enable fidelity enhancement aftermatching the digital fingerprint 231. In another example staticrecommendations 245 may be used to upgrade the original content 211 witha new version of alternate content 221, where content redactions arerequired.

Scoring can provide recommendations to the user for augmentation oforiginal content 211. In one example, recommendations for contentsynchronization may originate from the content creator's cue points 212or very similar content. For example, if the creator's content includedan archetypal shot of a lead character hanging from a cliff and chosethe semantic “suspenseful climax” featuring a fast tempo symphonicscore, the marketplace could find similar alternate content 221.Recalling that the content is indexed both by a digital fingerprint 231and by semantic metadata 212, the marketplace may recommend content withmostly acoustic guitars at a high speed tempo, or content with mostlyelectronic instruments (square waves, computer-generated sounds, andsynthetic drums) at a high tempo.

Traditional content synchronization and mixing may involve simplyreplacing 255 the original content 211 with alternate content 221 bymeans of exact substitution during playback 250. Using modern analysisfor beat detection, existing methods can create adapted alternatecontent by synchronizing the tempo 252 of two pieces of content by meansof deceleration (i.e., a slowing down of audio), or acceleration (i.e.,speeding up of audio), also known as time-stretching. Other examples mayinclude more subtle changes or mixing 251 of content that can beaccomplished by manipulating the volume of respective content sources.With the benefit of semantics describing the content cue points 212, themixing system can be further improved to change the volume via specificfrequency equalization (EQ) of certain components of the content. Forexample, with the “suspense” semantic, high frequency sounds (likeviolins or screeching and scratching sounds) may be the mostrecognizable or influential sound component. The playback system wouldmodify its mixing strategy to preserve (or possibly emphasize andamplify) these high-frequency components. Further advanced mechanismsusing spectral signatures 254 may also include modifications for theattack, decay, and sustain of a particular sound to represent thehigh-intensity components of a semantic, like a clap of thunder or aslow roar of an approaching train. In yet another example, the key 253of a musical score can be matched (or manipulated to align to semanticneeds) with methods using frequency-domain modifications, also known asnon-destructive pitch shifting.

With any of these recommendations, the semantics of both the creator'sstatic cue points 212 (if any were provided) and the preferences of theuser's playback 250 of the original content 211 would be mathematicallycombined to find a recommendation. In another embodiment, if the userexperiencing the playback 250 is using the system for the first time, astrong understanding of that user's preferences may not be understood.In this case, the digital fingerprints 231 and semantic metadata 212from the user's alternate content 221 would be utilized to createrecommendations for alternate content from the marketplace 240. Forexample, the marketplace 240 would store semantic suggestions for acreator's content and lists of associated cue points (mapped toalternate content) that have previously been executed via social mediasharing 256 and rank them based on social media recommendations,popularity or viewership 243. Here, the playback user can experience oneof the previously executed cue point combinations or one that isslightly modified based on the user's available alternate content. Inanother example, recommendations for alternate content may be providedfrom socially connected (or socially similar) other users (e.g. friendsand family) that may share similar tastes. In another example, thoserecommendations may be influenced locally by real-time (or historical)biometrics from the playback.

The proposed method improves upon existing techniques for playbackmanipulation by including both automatic and manual cue pointspecification and manipulations are based on semantics, eliminating theneed for explicit parameter specification within additional metadata.For example using methods 251-255, alternate content 221 and originalcontent 211 can be manipulated according to semantic metadata thatneither the original content creator nor the user experiencing theplayback must define. This is achievable because the semantic metadatais encoded by parameterizations upon creation. Specifically, in oneembodiment for semantic creation, a semantic may contain propertiesbased on audio analysis techniques that fingerprint (for specificmatches) and use semantic scoring 232 (for generic matches) that areautomatically computed.

In another embodiment, a content creator has iteratively specified asemantic by evaluating it against existing locally processed audioexamples. This novel solution guarantees that the semantic will begeneric and reusable, because the content creator is evaluatingsemantics on locally available alternate content 221, which may not beavailable for other users at playback so the semantic representationmust be strong enough to map to other alternate content 221.

In another embodiment, the social media sharing 256 system solicits andrecords preferences from various users and may associate better matches(among semantics) by similarity in preferences from those social users(as determined by viewership history and preference matching).

In the results to the query for recommendation, the user may discoveralternate content 221 and specific cue points 222. In anotherembodiment, the user may begin by viewing alternate content 221, andwish to view original content 211 as augmented by alternate content 221.For example, the user might wish to listen to particular music (asalternate content 221), and discover that the music is embedded in thesoundtrack to a movie (original content 211), or describes cue point inthe movie for augmentation purposes. In this scenario, the user candecide to watch the movie (original content 211) including theaugmentation provided by alternate content 221.

In another embodiment, the user might have a high-fidelity version ofcontent, stored in the user library 220. As the user begins to playoriginal content 211, system 200 can discover the high-fidelity version,and will augment original content 211 with the high-fidelity version atthe prescribed cue points. In this fashion, system 200 allows bandwidthand resource reduction by detecting duplicated asset plays.

In another embodiment, augmented or virtual reality (XR) experiences mayhave cue points that are activated by specific activity within theexperience. Specifically, the author may associate the crossing of avirtual threshold (e.g., a door to a home or a gate to a dungeon) to actas a cue point for another semantic. In another embodiment, XRexperiences may have audio/video links to external content that mayrange in quality, cost, etc. (low fidelity, certain subjects, regionallyadapted for local celebrities) that can dramatically change userexperience, but allow baseline game/experience to be enhanced.

In another embodiment, system 200 provides for crowd-based editing andcreation of alternate content synchronization (for example, voice overs,alternate audio, topical video, etc.) that can then be resold,incorporated, or re-released as alternate experiences on the originalcontent.

In another embodiment, the recommendation marketplace 240 can recordinteractive feedback 257 from one or more users. Following examples fromsocial media sites, a user can add explicit “like” or “dislike”annotations. These annotations may be attributed to explicit cue points,original content, or alternate content to better weigh and learnappropriate recommendations. Generally, interactive feedback pertains tothe continual improvement of the recommendation engine, which takes intoaccount user feedback via various indicators such as biometrics andviewership selections. Additionally, the marketplace can aggregate,analyze and trend user feedback indicators to improve recommendationsfor others.

FIG. 2B depicts an illustrative embodiment of methods in accordance withvarious aspects described herein. As shown in FIG. 2B, a method ofcreating content 260 is illustrated by a content creator 261. In step267, the content creator 261 generates new content, and the new contentis matched to a semantic specification 262. Finally, in step 268, thesystem fingerprints cue points in the new content, which are indexed bythe marketplace 264.

Also illustrated in FIG. 2B is a method of consuming content 270. Asshown in FIG. 2B, in step 271, a user consumes original content. In step272, the marketplace 264 makes a recommendation by matching the originalcontent with content stored in a user library. In step 273, the userselects matching content from the library, which is forwarded to theuser's playback system 265. In step 274, the user's playback system 265retrieves semantic metadata embedded in the original content matchingthe semantic specification 262. In step 275, the semantic metadataprovides the playback system 265 with a description of manipulation ofthe matched content. In step 276, the playback system 265 delivers theoriginal content with the matched content as adapted by the describedmanipulation. In step 277, the user optionally indicates a preference,or shares the preference for a new playback scheme, or new cue points,which are stored in the user library 263. In response, in step 278, themarketplace 264 indexes the new recommendation made by the user. Similarto interactive feedback 257 contributed by users, as shown in FIG. 2A,indexing describes the process by which a user's feedback in response tosemantically manipulated new content is collected, aggregated, andanalyzed for future matching and manipulations. This information can beused for both for the user and users with similar profiles.

Also illustrated in FIG. 2B is a method of proposing a new semanticconstruct 280. As shown in FIG. 2B, in step 281, the creator indicates adesire to create a new semantic definition that is not present in thesemantic specification 262. In step 282, the marketplace 264 queriespopular recommendations for similar semantic constructs. In step 283,the semantic specification associates new playback system 265 foradaptations to known semantic constructs. In step 284, the new semanticis evaluated by the content creator 261 to ensure that the playbackrendering matches the intent of the content creator 261. If so, then instep 285, the playback system 265 updates the semantic specification 262with the updated playback model.

While for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the respectiveprocesses are shown and described as a series of acts in FIG. 2B, it isto be understood and appreciated that the claimed subject matter is notlimited by the order of the acts, as some acts may occur in differentorders and/or concurrently with other acts from what is depicted anddescribed herein. Moreover, not all illustrated acts may be required toimplement the methods described herein.

Referring now to FIG. 3 , a block diagram 300 is shown illustrating anexample, non-limiting embodiment of a virtualized communication networkin accordance with various aspects described herein. In particular avirtualized communication network is presented that can be used toimplement some or all of the subsystems and functions of communicationnetwork 100, the subsystems and functions of system 200, and analysis230 presented in FIGS. 1, 2A, 2B and 3 . For example, virtualizedcommunication network 300 can facilitate in whole or in part adistributed execution of the marketplace 240 or access to the alternatecontent 221 in a user's library.

In particular, a cloud networking architecture is shown that leveragescloud technologies and supports rapid innovation and scalability via atransport layer 350, a virtualized network function cloud 325 and/or oneor more cloud computing environments 375. In various embodiments, thiscloud networking architecture is an open architecture that leveragesapplication programming interfaces (APIs); reduces complexity fromservices and operations; supports more nimble business models; andrapidly and seamlessly scales to meet evolving customer requirementsincluding traffic growth, diversity of traffic types, and diversity ofperformance and reliability expectations.

In contrast to traditional network elements—which are typicallyintegrated to perform a single function, the virtualized communicationnetwork employs virtual network elements (VNEs) 330, 332, 334, etc. thatperform some or all of the functions of network elements 150, 152, 154,156, etc. For example, the network architecture can provide a substrateof networking capability, often called Network Function VirtualizationInfrastructure (NFVI) or simply infrastructure that is capable of beingdirected with software and Software Defined Networking (SDN) protocolsto perform a broad variety of network functions and services. Thisinfrastructure can include several types of substrates. The most typicaltype of substrate being servers that support Network FunctionVirtualization (NFV), followed by packet forwarding capabilities basedon generic computing resources, with specialized network technologiesbrought to bear when general purpose processors or general purposeintegrated circuit devices offered by merchants (referred to herein asmerchant silicon) are not appropriate. In this case, communicationservices can be implemented as cloud-centric workloads.

As an example, a traditional network element 150 (shown in FIG. 1 ),such as an edge router can be implemented via a VNE 330 composed of NFVsoftware modules, merchant silicon, and associated controllers. Thesoftware can be written so that increasing workload consumes incrementalresources from a common resource pool, and moreover so that it'selastic: so the resources are only consumed when needed. In a similarfashion, other network elements such as other routers, switches, edgecaches, and middle-boxes are instantiated from the common resource pool.Such sharing of infrastructure across a broad set of uses makes planningand growing infrastructure easier to manage.

In an embodiment, the transport layer 350 includes fiber, cable, wiredand/or wireless transport elements, network elements and interfaces toprovide broadband access 110, wireless access 120, voice access 130,media access 140 and/or access to content sources 175 for distributionof content to any or all of the access technologies. In particular, insome cases a network element needs to be positioned at a specific place,and this allows for less sharing of common infrastructure. Other times,the network elements have specific physical layer adapters that cannotbe abstracted or virtualized, and might require special DSP code andanalog front-ends (AFEs) that do not lend themselves to implementationas VNEs 330, 332 or 334. These network elements can be included intransport layer 350.

The virtualized network function cloud 325 interfaces with the transportlayer 350 to provide the VNEs 330, 332, 334, etc. to provide specificNFVs. In particular, the virtualized network function cloud 325leverages cloud operations, applications, and architectures to supportnetworking workloads. The virtualized network elements 330, 332 and 334can employ network function software that provides either a one-for-onemapping of traditional network element function or alternately somecombination of network functions designed for cloud computing. Forexample, VNEs 330, 332 and 334 can include route reflectors, domain namesystem (DNS) servers, and dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP)servers, system architecture evolution (SAE) and/or mobility managemententity (MME) gateways, broadband network gateways, IP edge routers forIP-VPN, Ethernet and other services, load balancers, distributers andother network elements. Because these elements don't typically need toforward large amounts of traffic, their workload can be distributedacross a number of servers—each of which adds a portion of thecapability, and overall which creates an elastic function with higheravailability than its former monolithic version. These virtual networkelements 330, 332, 334, etc. can be instantiated and managed using anorchestration approach similar to those used in cloud compute services.

The cloud computing environments 375 can interface with the virtualizednetwork function cloud 325 via APIs that expose functional capabilitiesof the VNEs 330, 332, 334, etc. to provide the flexible and expandedcapabilities to the virtualized network function cloud 325. Inparticular, network workloads may have applications distributed acrossthe virtualized network function cloud 325 and cloud computingenvironment 375 and in the commercial cloud, or might simply orchestrateworkloads supported entirely in NFV infrastructure from these thirdparty locations.

Turning now to FIG. 4 , there is illustrated a block diagram of acomputing environment in accordance with various aspects describedherein. In order to provide additional context for various embodimentsof the embodiments described herein, FIG. 4 and the following discussionare intended to provide a brief, general description of a suitablecomputing environment 400 in which the various embodiments of thesubject disclosure can be implemented. In particular, computingenvironment 400 can be used in the implementation of network elements150, 152, 154, 156, access terminal 112, base station or access point122, switching device 132, media terminal 142, and/or VNEs 330, 332,334, etc. Each of these devices can be implemented viacomputer-executable instructions that can run on one or more computers,and/or in combination with other program modules and/or as a combinationof hardware and software. For example, computing environment 400 canfacilitate in whole or in part the marketplace 240 or other elements ofsystem 200.

Generally, program modules comprise routines, programs, components, datastructures, etc., that perform particular tasks or implement particularabstract data types. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciatethat the inventive methods can be practiced with other computer systemconfigurations, comprising single-processor or multiprocessor computersystems, minicomputers, mainframe computers, as well as personalcomputers, hand-held computing devices, microprocessor-based orprogrammable consumer electronics, and the like, each of which can beoperatively coupled to one or more associated devices.

As used herein, a processing circuit includes one or more processors aswell as other application specific circuits such as an applicationspecific integrated circuit, digital logic circuit, state machine,programmable gate array or other circuit that processes input signals ordata and that produces output signals or data in response thereto. Itshould be noted that while any functions and features described hereinin association with the operation of a processor could likewise beperformed by a processing circuit.

The illustrated embodiments of the embodiments herein can be alsopracticed in distributed computing environments where certain tasks areperformed by remote processing devices that are linked through acommunications network. In a distributed computing environment, programmodules can be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.

Computing devices typically comprise a variety of media, which cancomprise computer-readable storage media and/or communications media,which two terms are used herein differently from one another as follows.Computer-readable storage media can be any available storage media thatcan be accessed by the computer and comprises both volatile andnonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of example,and not limitation, computer-readable storage media can be implementedin connection with any method or technology for storage of informationsuch as computer-readable instructions, program modules, structured dataor unstructured data.

Computer-readable storage media can comprise, but are not limited to,random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), electricallyerasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or othermemory technology, compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM), digitalversatile disk (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes,magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devicesor other tangible and/or non-transitory media which can be used to storedesired information. In this regard, the terms “tangible” or“non-transitory” herein as applied to storage, memory orcomputer-readable media, are to be understood to exclude onlypropagating transitory signals per se as modifiers and do not relinquishrights to all standard storage, memory or computer-readable media thatare not only propagating transitory signals per se.

Computer-readable storage media can be accessed by one or more local orremote computing devices, e.g., via access requests, queries or otherdata retrieval protocols, for a variety of operations with respect tothe information stored by the medium.

Communications media typically embody computer-readable instructions,data structures, program modules or other structured or unstructureddata in a data signal such as a modulated data signal, e.g., a carrierwave or other transport mechanism, and comprises any informationdelivery or transport media. The term “modulated data signal” or signalsrefers to a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set orchanged in such a manner as to encode information in one or moresignals. By way of example, and not limitation, communication mediacomprise wired media, such as a wired network or direct-wiredconnection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and otherwireless media.

With reference again to FIG. 4 , the example environment can comprise acomputer 402, the computer 402 comprising a processing unit 404, asystem memory 406 and a system bus 408. The system bus 408 couplessystem components including, but not limited to, the system memory 406to the processing unit 404. The processing unit 404 can be any ofvarious commercially available processors. Dual microprocessors andother multiprocessor architectures can also be employed as theprocessing unit 404.

The system bus 408 can be any of several types of bus structure that canfurther interconnect to a memory bus (with or without a memorycontroller), a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety ofcommercially available bus architectures. The system memory 406comprises ROM 410 and RAM 412. A basic input/output system (BIOS) can bestored in a non-volatile memory such as ROM, erasable programmable readonly memory (EPROM), EEPROM, which BIOS contains the basic routines thathelp to transfer information between elements within the computer 402,such as during startup. The RAM 412 can also comprise a high-speed RAMsuch as static RAM for caching data.

The computer 402 further comprises an internal hard disk drive (HDD) 414(e.g., EIDE, SATA), which internal HDD 414 can also be configured forexternal use in a suitable chassis (not shown), a magnetic floppy diskdrive (FDD) 416, (e.g., to read from or write to a removable diskette418) and an optical disk drive 420, (e.g., reading a CD-ROM disk 422 or,to read from or write to other high capacity optical media such as theDVD). The HDD 414, magnetic FDD 416 and optical disk drive 420 can beconnected to the system bus 408 by a hard disk drive interface 424, amagnetic disk drive interface 426 and an optical drive interface 428,respectively. The hard disk drive interface 424 for external driveimplementations comprises at least one or both of Universal Serial Bus(USB) and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394interface technologies. Other external drive connection technologies arewithin contemplation of the embodiments described herein.

The drives and their associated computer-readable storage media providenonvolatile storage of data, data structures, computer-executableinstructions, and so forth. For the computer 402, the drives and storagemedia accommodate the storage of any data in a suitable digital format.Although the description of computer-readable storage media above refersto a hard disk drive (HDD), a removable magnetic diskette, and aremovable optical media such as a CD or DVD, it should be appreciated bythose skilled in the art that other types of storage media which arereadable by a computer, such as zip drives, magnetic cassettes, flashmemory cards, cartridges, and the like, can also be used in the exampleoperating environment, and further, that any such storage media cancontain computer-executable instructions for performing the methodsdescribed herein.

A number of program modules can be stored in the drives and RAM 412,comprising an operating system 430, one or more application programs432, other program modules 434 and program data 436. All or portions ofthe operating system, applications, modules, and/or data can also becached in the RAM 412. The systems and methods described herein can beimplemented utilizing various commercially available operating systemsor combinations of operating systems.

A user can enter commands and information into the computer 402 throughone or more wired/wireless input devices, e.g., a keyboard 438 and apointing device, such as a mouse 440. Other input devices (not shown)can comprise a microphone, an infrared (IR) remote control, a joystick,a game pad, a stylus pen, touch screen or the like. These and otherinput devices are often connected to the processing unit 404 through aninput device interface 442 that can be coupled to the system bus 408,but can be connected by other interfaces, such as a parallel port, anIEEE 1394 serial port, a game port, a universal serial bus (USB) port,an IR interface, etc.

A monitor 444 or other type of display device can be also connected tothe system bus 408 via an interface, such as a video adapter 446. Itwill also be appreciated that in alternative embodiments, a monitor 444can also be any display device (e.g., another computer having a display,a smart phone, a tablet computer, etc.) for receiving displayinformation associated with computer 402 via any communication means,including via the Internet and cloud-based networks. In addition to themonitor 444, a computer typically comprises other peripheral outputdevices (not shown), such as speakers, printers, etc.

The computer 402 can operate in a networked environment using logicalconnections via wired and/or wireless communications to one or moreremote computers, such as a remote computer(s) 448. The remotecomputer(s) 448 can be a workstation, a server computer, a router, apersonal computer, portable computer, microprocessor-based entertainmentappliance, a peer device or other common network node, and typicallycomprises many or all of the elements described relative to the computer402, although, for purposes of brevity, only a remote memory/storagedevice 450 is illustrated. The logical connections depicted comprisewired/wireless connectivity to a local area network (LAN) 452 and/orlarger networks, e.g., a wide area network (WAN) 454. Such LAN and WANnetworking environments are commonplace in offices and companies, andfacilitate enterprise-wide computer networks, such as intranets, all ofwhich can connect to a global communications network, e.g., theInternet.

When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 402 can beconnected to the LAN 452 through a wired and/or wireless communicationnetwork interface or adapter 456. The adapter 456 can facilitate wiredor wireless communication to the LAN 452, which can also comprise awireless AP disposed thereon for communicating with the adapter 456.

When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 402 can comprisea modem 458 or can be connected to a communications server on the WAN454 or has other means for establishing communications over the WAN 454,such as by way of the Internet. The modem 458, which can be internal orexternal and a wired or wireless device, can be connected to the systembus 408 via the input device interface 442. In a networked environment,program modules depicted relative to the computer 402 or portionsthereof, can be stored in the remote memory/storage device 450. It willbe appreciated that the network connections shown are example and othermeans of establishing a communications link between the computers can beused.

The computer 402 can be operable to communicate with any wirelessdevices or entities operatively disposed in wireless communication,e.g., a printer, scanner, desktop and/or portable computer, portabledata assistant, communications satellite, any piece of equipment orlocation associated with a wirelessly detectable tag (e.g., a kiosk,news stand, restroom), and telephone. This can comprise WirelessFidelity (Wi-Fi) and BLUETOOTH® wireless technologies. Thus, thecommunication can be a predefined structure as with a conventionalnetwork or simply an ad hoc communication between at least two devices.

Wi-Fi can allow connection to the Internet from a couch at home, a bedin a hotel room or a conference room at work, without wires. Wi-Fi is awireless technology similar to that used in a cell phone that enablessuch devices, e.g., computers, to send and receive data indoors and out;anywhere within the range of a base station. Wi-Fi networks use radiotechnologies called IEEE 802.11 (a, b, g, n, ac, ag, etc.) to providesecure, reliable, fast wireless connectivity. A Wi-Fi network can beused to connect computers to each other, to the Internet, and to wirednetworks (which can use IEEE 802.3 or Ethernet). Wi-Fi networks operatein the unlicensed 2.4 and 5 GHz radio bands for example or with productsthat contain both bands (dual band), so the networks can providereal-world performance similar to the basic 10BaseT wired Ethernetnetworks used in many offices.

Turning now to FIG. 5 , an embodiment 500 of a mobile network platform510 is shown that is an example of network elements 150, 152, 154, 156,and/or VNEs 330, 332, 334, etc. For example, platform 510 can facilitatein whole or in part content analysis 230 and playback 250 manipulations,or other elements of system 200. In one or more embodiments, the mobilenetwork platform 510 can generate and receive signals transmitted andreceived by base stations or access points such as base station oraccess point 122. Generally, mobile network platform 510 can comprisecomponents, e.g., nodes, gateways, interfaces, servers, or disparateplatforms, that facilitate both packet-switched (PS) (e.g., internetprotocol (IP), frame relay, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM)) andcircuit-switched (CS) traffic (e.g., voice and data), as well as controlgeneration for networked wireless telecommunication. As a non-limitingexample, mobile network platform 510 can be included intelecommunications carrier networks, and can be considered carrier-sidecomponents as discussed elsewhere herein. Mobile network platform 510comprises CS gateway node(s) 512 which can interface CS traffic receivedfrom legacy networks like telephony network(s) 540 (e.g., publicswitched telephone network (PSTN), or public land mobile network (PLMN))or a signaling system #7 (SS7) network 560. CS gateway node(s) 512 canauthorize and authenticate traffic (e.g., voice) arising from suchnetworks. Additionally, CS gateway node(s) 512 can access mobility, orroaming, data generated through SS7 network 560; for instance, mobilitydata stored in a visited location register (VLR), which can reside inmemory 530. Moreover, CS gateway node(s) 512 interfaces CS-based trafficand signaling and PS gateway node(s) 518. As an example, in a 3GPP UMTSnetwork, CS gateway node(s) 512 can be realized at least in part ingateway GPRS support node(s) (GGSN). It should be appreciated thatfunctionality and specific operation of CS gateway node(s) 512, PSgateway node(s) 518, and serving node(s) 516, is provided and dictatedby radio technology(ies) utilized by mobile network platform 510 fortelecommunication over a radio access network 520 with other devices,such as a radiotelephone 575.

In addition to receiving and processing CS-switched traffic andsignaling, PS gateway node(s) 518 can authorize and authenticatePS-based data sessions with served mobile devices. Data sessions cancomprise traffic, or content(s), exchanged with networks external to themobile network platform 510, like wide area network(s) (WANs) 550,enterprise network(s) 570, and service network(s) 580, which can beembodied in local area network(s) (LANs), can also be interfaced withmobile network platform 510 through PS gateway node(s) 518. It is to benoted that WANs 550 and enterprise network(s) 570 can embody, at leastin part, a service network(s) like IP multimedia subsystem (IMS). Basedon radio technology layer(s) available in technology resource(s) orradio access network 520, PS gateway node(s) 518 can generate packetdata protocol contexts when a data session is established; other datastructures that facilitate routing of packetized data also can begenerated. To that end, in an aspect, PS gateway node(s) 518 cancomprise a tunnel interface (e.g., tunnel termination gateway (TTG) in3GPP UMTS network(s) (not shown)) which can facilitate packetizedcommunication with disparate wireless network(s), such as Wi-Finetworks.

In embodiment 500, mobile network platform 510 also comprises servingnode(s) 516 that, based upon available radio technology layer(s) withintechnology resource(s) in the radio access network 520, convey thevarious packetized flows of data streams received through PS gatewaynode(s) 518. It is to be noted that for technology resource(s) that relyprimarily on CS communication, server node(s) can deliver trafficwithout reliance on PS gateway node(s) 518; for example, server node(s)can embody at least in part a mobile switching center. As an example, ina 3GPP UMTS network, serving node(s) 516 can be embodied in serving GPRSsupport node(s) (SGSN).

For radio technologies that exploit packetized communication, server(s)514 in mobile network platform 510 can execute numerous applicationsthat can generate multiple disparate packetized data streams or flows,and manage (e.g., schedule, queue, format . . . ) such flows. Suchapplication(s) can comprise add-on features to standard services (forexample, provisioning, billing, customer support . . . ) provided bymobile network platform 510. Data streams (e.g., content(s) that arepart of a voice call or data session) can be conveyed to PS gatewaynode(s) 518 for authorization/authentication and initiation of a datasession, and to serving node(s) 516 for communication thereafter. Inaddition to application server, server(s) 514 can comprise utilityserver(s), a utility server can comprise a provisioning server, anoperations and maintenance server, a security server that can implementat least in part a certificate authority and firewalls as well as othersecurity mechanisms, and the like. In an aspect, security server(s)secure communication served through mobile network platform 510 toensure network's operation and data integrity in addition toauthorization and authentication procedures that CS gateway node(s) 512and PS gateway node(s) 518 can enact. Moreover, provisioning server(s)can provision services from external network(s) like networks operatedby a disparate service provider; for instance, WAN 550 or GlobalPositioning System (GPS) network(s) (not shown). Provisioning server(s)can also provision coverage through networks associated to mobilenetwork platform 510 (e.g., deployed and operated by the same serviceprovider), such as the distributed antennas networks shown in FIG. 1(s)that enhance wireless service coverage by providing more networkcoverage.

It is to be noted that server(s) 514 can comprise one or more processorsconfigured to confer at least in part the functionality of mobilenetwork platform 510. To that end, the one or more processor can executecode instructions stored in memory 530, for example. It is should beappreciated that server(s) 514 can comprise a content manager, whichoperates in substantially the same manner as described hereinbefore.

In example embodiment 500, memory 530 can store information related tooperation of mobile network platform 510. Other operational informationcan comprise provisioning information of mobile devices served throughmobile network platform 510, subscriber databases; applicationintelligence, pricing schemes, e.g., promotional rates, flat-rateprograms, couponing campaigns; technical specification(s) consistentwith telecommunication protocols for operation of disparate radio, orwireless, technology layers; and so forth. Memory 530 can also storeinformation from at least one of telephony network(s) 540, WAN 550, SS7network 560, or enterprise network(s) 570. In an aspect, memory 530 canbe, for example, accessed as part of a data store component or as aremotely connected memory store.

In order to provide a context for the various aspects of the disclosedsubject matter, FIG. 5 , and the following discussion, are intended toprovide a brief, general description of a suitable environment in whichthe various aspects of the disclosed subject matter can be implemented.While the subject matter has been described above in the general contextof computer-executable instructions of a computer program that runs on acomputer and/or computers, those skilled in the art will recognize thatthe disclosed subject matter also can be implemented in combination withother program modules. Generally, program modules comprise routines,programs, components, data structures, etc. that perform particulartasks and/or implement particular abstract data types.

Turning now to FIG. 6 , an illustrative embodiment of a communicationdevice 600 is shown. The communication device 600 can serve as anillustrative embodiment of devices such as data terminals 114, mobiledevices 124, vehicle 126, display devices 144 or other client devicesfor communication via either communications network 125. For example,computing device 600 can facilitate in whole or in part playback 250 orother elements of system 200.

The communication device 600 can comprise a wireline and/or wirelesstransceiver 602 (herein transceiver 602), a user interface (UI) 604, apower supply 614, a location receiver 616, a motion sensor 618, anorientation sensor 620, and a controller 606 for managing operationsthereof. The transceiver 602 can support short-range or long-rangewireless access technologies such as Bluetooth®, ZigBee®, WiFi, DECT, orcellular communication technologies, just to mention a few (Bluetooth®and ZigBee® are trademarks registered by the Bluetooth® Special InterestGroup and the ZigBee® Alliance, respectively). Cellular technologies caninclude, for example, CDMA-1X, UMTS/HSDPA, GSM/GPRS, TDMA/EDGE, EV/DO,WiMAX, SDR, LTE, as well as other next generation wireless communicationtechnologies as they arise. The transceiver 602 can also be adapted tosupport circuit-switched wireline access technologies (such as PSTN),packet-switched wireline access technologies (such as TCP/IP, VoIP,etc.), and combinations thereof.

The UI 604 can include a depressible or touch-sensitive keypad 608 witha navigation mechanism such as a roller ball, a joystick, a mouse, or anavigation disk for manipulating operations of the communication device600. The keypad 608 can be an integral part of a housing assembly of thecommunication device 600 or an independent device operably coupledthereto by a tethered wireline interface (such as a USB cable) or awireless interface supporting for example Bluetooth®. The keypad 608 canrepresent a numeric keypad commonly used by phones, and/or a QWERTYkeypad with alphanumeric keys. The UI 604 can further include a display610 such as monochrome or color LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), OLED(Organic Light Emitting Diode) or other suitable display technology forconveying images to an end user of the communication device 600. In anembodiment where the display 610 is touch-sensitive, a portion or all ofthe keypad 608 can be presented by way of the display 610 withnavigation features.

The display 610 can use touch screen technology to also serve as a userinterface for detecting user input. As a touch screen display, thecommunication device 600 can be adapted to present a user interfacehaving graphical user interface (GUI) elements that can be selected by auser with a touch of a finger. The display 610 can be equipped withcapacitive, resistive or other forms of sensing technology to detect howmuch surface area of a user's finger has been placed on a portion of thetouch screen display. This sensing information can be used to controlthe manipulation of the GUI elements or other functions of the userinterface. The display 610 can be an integral part of the housingassembly of the communication device 600 or an independent devicecommunicatively coupled thereto by a tethered wireline interface (suchas a cable) or a wireless interface.

The UI 604 can also include an audio system 612 that utilizes audiotechnology for conveying low volume audio (such as audio heard inproximity of a human ear) and high volume audio (such as speakerphonefor hands free operation). The audio system 612 can further include amicrophone for receiving audible signals of an end user. The audiosystem 612 can also be used for voice recognition applications. The UI604 can further include an image sensor 613 such as a charged coupleddevice (CCD) camera for capturing still or moving images.

The power supply 614 can utilize common power management technologiessuch as replaceable and rechargeable batteries, supply regulationtechnologies, and/or charging system technologies for supplying energyto the components of the communication device 600 to facilitatelong-range or short-range portable communications. Alternatively, or incombination, the charging system can utilize external power sources suchas DC power supplied over a physical interface such as a USB port orother suitable tethering technologies.

The location receiver 616 can utilize location technology such as aglobal positioning system (GPS) receiver capable of assisted GPS foridentifying a location of the communication device 600 based on signalsgenerated by a constellation of GPS satellites, which can be used forfacilitating location services such as navigation. The motion sensor 618can utilize motion sensing technology such as an accelerometer, agyroscope, or other suitable motion sensing technology to detect motionof the communication device 600 in three-dimensional space. Theorientation sensor 620 can utilize orientation sensing technology suchas a magnetometer to detect the orientation of the communication device600 (north, south, west, and east, as well as combined orientations indegrees, minutes, or other suitable orientation metrics).

The communication device 600 can use the transceiver 602 to alsodetermine a proximity to a cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth®, or other wirelessaccess points by sensing techniques such as utilizing a received signalstrength indicator (RSSI) and/or signal time of arrival (TOA) or time offlight (TOF) measurements. The controller 606 can utilize computingtechnologies such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP),programmable gate arrays, application specific integrated circuits,and/or a video processor with associated storage memory such as Flash,ROM, RAM, SRAM, DRAM or other storage technologies for executingcomputer instructions, controlling, and processing data supplied by theaforementioned components of the communication device 600.

Other components not shown in FIG. 6 can be used in one or moreembodiments of the subject disclosure. For instance, the communicationdevice 600 can include a slot for adding or removing an identity modulesuch as a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card or Universal IntegratedCircuit Card (UICC). SIM or UICC cards can be used for identifyingsubscriber services, executing programs, storing subscriber data, and soon.

The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” and so forth, as used in theclaims, unless otherwise clear by context, is for clarity only anddoesn't otherwise indicate or imply any order in time. For instance, “afirst determination,” “a second determination,” and “a thirddetermination,” does not indicate or imply that the first determinationis to be made before the second determination, or vice versa, etc.

In the subject specification, terms such as “store,” “storage,” “datastore,” data storage,” “database,” and substantially any otherinformation storage component relevant to operation and functionality ofa component, refer to “memory components,” or entities embodied in a“memory” or components comprising the memory. It will be appreciatedthat the memory components described herein can be either volatilememory or nonvolatile memory, or can comprise both volatile andnonvolatile memory, by way of illustration, and not limitation, volatilememory, non-volatile memory, disk storage, and memory storage. Further,nonvolatile memory can be included in read only memory (ROM),programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM),electrically erasable ROM (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory cancomprise random access memory (RAM), which acts as external cachememory. By way of illustration and not limitation, RAM is available inmany forms such as synchronous RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM),synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhancedSDRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct Rambus RAM (DRRAM).Additionally, the disclosed memory components of systems or methodsherein are intended to comprise, without being limited to comprising,these and any other suitable types of memory.

Moreover, it will be noted that the disclosed subject matter can bepracticed with other computer system configurations, comprisingsingle-processor or multiprocessor computer systems, mini-computingdevices, mainframe computers, as well as personal computers, hand-heldcomputing devices (e.g., PDA, phone, smartphone, watch, tabletcomputers, netbook computers, etc.), microprocessor-based orprogrammable consumer or industrial electronics, and the like. Theillustrated aspects can also be practiced in distributed computingenvironments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices thatare linked through a communications network; however, some if not allaspects of the subject disclosure can be practiced on stand-alonecomputers. In a distributed computing environment, program modules canbe located in both local and remote memory storage devices.

In one or more embodiments, information regarding use of services can begenerated including services being accessed, media consumption history,user preferences, and so forth. This information can be obtained byvarious methods including user input, detecting types of communications(e.g., video content vs. audio content), analysis of content streams,sampling, and so forth. The generating, obtaining and/or monitoring ofthis information can be responsive to an authorization provided by theuser. In one or more embodiments, an analysis of data can be subject toauthorization from user(s) associated with the data, such as an opt-in,an opt-out, acknowledgement requirements, notifications, selectiveauthorization based on types of data, and so forth.

Some of the embodiments described herein can also employ artificialintelligence (AI) to facilitate automating one or more featuresdescribed herein. The embodiments (e.g., in connection withautomatically identifying acquired cell sites that provide a maximumvalue/benefit after addition to an existing communication network) canemploy various AI-based schemes for carrying out various embodimentsthereof. Moreover, the classifier can be employed to determine a rankingor priority of each cell site of the acquired network. A classifier is afunction that maps an input attribute vector, X=(x₁, x₂, x₃, x₄ . . .x_(n)), to a confidence that the input belongs to a class, that is,f(x)=confidence (class). Such classification can employ a probabilisticand/or statistical-based analysis (e.g., factoring into the analysisutilities and costs) to determine or infer an action that a user desiresto be automatically performed. A support vector machine (SVM) is anexample of a classifier that can be employed. The SVM operates byfinding a hypersurface in the space of possible inputs, which thehypersurface attempts to split the triggering criteria from thenon-triggering events. Intuitively, this makes the classificationcorrect for testing data that is near, but not identical to trainingdata. Other directed and undirected model classification approachescomprise, e.g., naïve Bayes, Bayesian networks, decision trees, neuralnetworks, fuzzy logic models, and probabilistic classification modelsproviding different patterns of independence can be employed.Classification as used herein also is inclusive of statisticalregression that is utilized to develop models of priority.

As will be readily appreciated, one or more of the embodiments canemploy classifiers that are explicitly trained (e.g., via a generictraining data) as well as implicitly trained (e.g., via observing UEbehavior, operator preferences, historical information, receivingextrinsic information). For example, SVMs can be configured via alearning or training phase within a classifier constructor and featureselection module. Thus, the classifier(s) can be used to automaticallylearn and perform a number of functions, including but not limited todetermining according to predetermined criteria which of the acquiredcell sites will benefit a maximum number of subscribers and/or which ofthe acquired cell sites will add minimum value to the existingcommunication network coverage, etc.

As used in some contexts in this application, in some embodiments, theterms “component,” “system” and the like are intended to refer to, orcomprise, a computer-related entity or an entity related to anoperational apparatus with one or more specific functionalities, whereinthe entity can be either hardware, a combination of hardware andsoftware, software, or software in execution. As an example, a componentmay be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, aprocessor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution,computer-executable instructions, a program, and/or a computer. By wayof illustration and not limitation, both an application running on aserver and the server can be a component. One or more components mayreside within a process and/or thread of execution and a component maybe localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or morecomputers. In addition, these components can execute from variouscomputer readable media having various data structures stored thereon.The components may communicate via local and/or remote processes such asin accordance with a signal having one or more data packets (e.g., datafrom one component interacting with another component in a local system,distributed system, and/or across a network such as the Internet withother systems via the signal). As another example, a component can be anapparatus with specific functionality provided by mechanical partsoperated by electric or electronic circuitry, which is operated by asoftware or firmware application executed by a processor, wherein theprocessor can be internal or external to the apparatus and executes atleast a part of the software or firmware application. As yet anotherexample, a component can be an apparatus that provides specificfunctionality through electronic components without mechanical parts,the electronic components can comprise a processor therein to executesoftware or firmware that confers at least in part the functionality ofthe electronic components. While various components have beenillustrated as separate components, it will be appreciated that multiplecomponents can be implemented as a single component, or a singlecomponent can be implemented as multiple components, without departingfrom example embodiments.

Further, the various embodiments can be implemented as a method,apparatus or article of manufacture using standard programming and/orengineering techniques to produce software, firmware, hardware or anycombination thereof to control a computer to implement the disclosedsubject matter. The term “article of manufacture” as used herein isintended to encompass a computer program accessible from anycomputer-readable device or computer-readable storage/communicationsmedia. For example, computer readable storage media can include, but arenot limited to, magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk,magnetic strips), optical disks (e.g., compact disk (CD), digitalversatile disk (DVD)), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g.,card, stick, key drive). Of course, those skilled in the art willrecognize many modifications can be made to this configuration withoutdeparting from the scope or spirit of the various embodiments.

In addition, the words “example” and “exemplary” are used herein to meanserving as an instance or illustration. Any embodiment or designdescribed herein as “example” or “exemplary” is not necessarily to beconstrued as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments ordesigns. Rather, use of the word example or exemplary is intended topresent concepts in a concrete fashion. As used in this application, theterm “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive“or”. That is, unless specified otherwise or clear from context, “Xemploys A or B” is intended to mean any of the natural inclusivepermutations. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both Aand B, then “X employs A or B” is satisfied under any of the foregoinginstances. In addition, the articles “a” and “an” as used in thisapplication and the appended claims should generally be construed tomean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from context tobe directed to a singular form.

Moreover, terms such as “user equipment,” “mobile station,” “mobile,”subscriber station,” “access terminal,” “terminal,” “handset,” “mobiledevice” (and/or terms representing similar terminology) can refer to awireless device utilized by a subscriber or user of a wirelesscommunication service to receive or convey data, control, voice, video,sound, gaming or substantially any data-stream or signaling-stream. Theforegoing terms are utilized interchangeably herein and with referenceto the related drawings.

Furthermore, the terms “user,” “subscriber,” “customer,” “consumer” andthe like are employed interchangeably throughout, unless contextwarrants particular distinctions among the terms. It should beappreciated that such terms can refer to human entities or automatedcomponents supported through artificial intelligence (e.g., a capacityto make inference based, at least, on complex mathematical formalisms),which can provide simulated vision, sound recognition and so forth.

As employed herein, the term “processor” can refer to substantially anycomputing processing unit or device comprising, but not limited tocomprising, single-core processors; single-processors with softwaremultithread execution capability; multi-core processors; multi-coreprocessors with software multithread execution capability; multi-coreprocessors with hardware multithread technology; parallel platforms; andparallel platforms with distributed shared memory. Additionally, aprocessor can refer to an integrated circuit, an application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), a fieldprogrammable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic controller (PLC), acomplex programmable logic device (CPLD), a discrete gate or transistorlogic, discrete hardware components or any combination thereof designedto perform the functions described herein. Processors can exploitnano-scale architectures such as, but not limited to, molecular andquantum-dot based transistors, switches and gates, in order to optimizespace usage or enhance performance of user equipment. A processor canalso be implemented as a combination of computing processing units.

As used herein, terms such as “data storage,” data storage,” “database,”and substantially any other information storage component relevant tooperation and functionality of a component, refer to “memorycomponents,” or entities embodied in a “memory” or components comprisingthe memory. It will be appreciated that the memory components orcomputer-readable storage media, described herein can be either volatilememory or nonvolatile memory or can include both volatile andnonvolatile memory.

What has been described above includes mere examples of variousembodiments. It is, of course, not possible to describe everyconceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes ofdescribing these examples, but one of ordinary skill in the art canrecognize that many further combinations and permutations of the presentembodiments are possible. Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed and/orclaimed herein are intended to embrace all such alterations,modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope ofthe appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes”is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term isintended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as“comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in aclaim.

In addition, a flow diagram may include a “start” and/or “continue”indication. The “start” and “continue” indications reflect that thesteps presented can optionally be incorporated in or otherwise used inconjunction with other routines. In this context, “start” indicates thebeginning of the first step presented and may be preceded by otheractivities not specifically shown. Further, the “continue” indicationreflects that the steps presented may be performed multiple times and/ormay be succeeded by other activities not specifically shown. Further,while a flow diagram indicates a particular ordering of steps, otherorderings are likewise possible provided that the principles ofcausality are maintained.

As may also be used herein, the term(s) “operably coupled to”, “coupledto”, and/or “coupling” includes direct coupling between items and/orindirect coupling between items via one or more intervening items. Suchitems and intervening items include, but are not limited to, junctions,communication paths, components, circuit elements, circuits, functionalblocks, and/or devices. As an example of indirect coupling, a signalconveyed from a first item to a second item may be modified by one ormore intervening items by modifying the form, nature or format ofinformation in a signal, while one or more elements of the informationin the signal are nevertheless conveyed in a manner than can berecognized by the second item. In a further example of indirectcoupling, an action in a first item can cause a reaction on the seconditem, as a result of actions and/or reactions in one or more interveningitems.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement which achieves thesame or similar purpose may be substituted for the embodiments describedor shown by the subject disclosure. The subject disclosure is intendedto cover any and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments.Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments notspecifically described herein, can be used in the subject disclosure.For instance, one or more features from one or more embodiments can becombined with one or more features of one or more other embodiments. Inone or more embodiments, features that are positively recited can alsobe negatively recited and excluded from the embodiment with or withoutreplacement by another structural and/or functional feature. The stepsor functions described with respect to the embodiments of the subjectdisclosure can be performed in any order. The steps or functionsdescribed with respect to the embodiments of the subject disclosure canbe performed alone or in combination with other steps or functions ofthe subject disclosure, as well as from other embodiments or from othersteps that have not been described in the subject disclosure. Further,more than or less than all of the features described with respect to anembodiment can also be utilized.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device comprising: a processing systemincluding a processor; and a memory that stores executable instructionsthat, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance ofoperations, the operations comprising: providing original media content,over a communication network, to a communication device associated witha user, wherein the communication device initiates playback of theoriginal media content; ranking a group of alternate media contentaccording to a first popularity based on a plurality of social mediaconnections of the user resulting in a ranked group of alternate mediacontent; determining to replace a portion of the original media contentwith alternate media content; identifying a first alternate mediacontent from the ranked group of alternate media content; and providing,over the communication network, the first alternate media content to thecommunication device, wherein the communication device replaces theportion of the original media content with the first alternate mediacontent, wherein the communication device presents the first alternatemedia content.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the ranking of thegroup of alternate media content comprises ranking of the group ofalternate media content according to a first group of social mediarecommendations associated with the plurality of social mediaconnections.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein the ranking of the groupof alternate media content comprises ranking of the group of alternatemedia content according to viewership associated with the plurality ofsocial media connections.
 4. The device of claim 1, wherein theoperations comprises: identifying first metadata associated with theportion of the original media content; and identifying the group ofalternate media content according to the first metadata.
 5. The deviceof claim 4, wherein the operations comprise requesting a recommendationfor alternate media content.
 6. The device of claim 5, wherein therequesting of the recommendation comprises requesting the recommendationfor the alternate media content based on the first metadata.
 7. Thedevice of claim 6, wherein the requesting of the recommendationcomprises requesting the recommendation for the alternate media contentbased on a second group of social media recommendations regarding theoriginal media content.
 8. The device of claim 6, wherein the requestingof the recommendation comprises requesting the recommendation for thealternate media content based on a second popularity of using the groupof alternate media content.
 9. The device of claim 1, wherein thecommunication device replacing the portion of the original media contentwith the first alternate media content includes the communication devicereplacing a first portion of audio content associated with the originalmedia content with the first alternate media content.
 10. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the communication device replacing the portion of theoriginal media content with the first alternate media content includesthe communication device replacing a first portion of image contentassociated with the original media content with the first alternatemedia content.
 11. The device of claim 1, wherein the communicationdevice replacing the portion of the original media content with thefirst alternate media content includes the communication deviceadjusting a second portion of audio content associated with the firstalternate media content.
 12. The device of claim 1, wherein thecommunication device replacing the portion of the original media contentwith the first alternate media content includes the communication deviceadjusting a second portion of image content associated with the firstalternate media content.
 13. A non-transitory, machine-readable medium,comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processingsystem including a processor, facilitate performance of operations, theoperations comprising: providing original media content, over acommunication network, to a communication device associated with a user,wherein the communication device initiates playback of the originalmedia content; ranking a group of alternate media content according to afirst popularity based on a plurality of social media connections of theuser resulting in a ranked group of alternate media content; determiningto replace a portion of the original media content with alternate mediacontent; identifying a first alternate media content from the rankedgroup of alternate media content; and providing, over the communicationnetwork, the first alternate media content to the communication device,wherein the communication device replaces the portion of the originalmedia content with the first alternate media content, wherein replacingthe portion of the original media content with the first alternate mediacontent comprises adjusting audio content of the first alternate mediacontent resulting in a first adjusted alternate media content, whereinthe communication device presents the first adjusted alternate mediacontent.
 14. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 13,wherein the ranking of the group of alternate media content comprisesranking of the group of alternate media content according to a firstgroup of social media recommendations associated with the plurality ofsocial media connections.
 15. The non-transitory, machine-readablemedium of claim 13, wherein the ranking of the group of alternate mediacontent comprises ranking of the group of alternate media contentaccording to viewership associated with the plurality of social mediaconnections.
 16. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim13, wherein the operations comprises: identifying first metadataassociated with the portion of the original media content; andidentifying the group of alternate media content according to the firstmetadata.
 17. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 16,wherein the operations comprise requesting a recommendation foralternate media content.
 18. The non-transitory, machine-readable mediumof claim 17, wherein the requesting of the recommendation comprisesrequesting the recommendation for the alternate media content based onthe first metadata.
 19. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium ofclaim 17, wherein the requesting of the recommendation comprisesrequesting the recommendation for the alternate media content based on asecond popularity of using the group of alternate media content.
 20. Amethod, comprising: providing, by a processing system including aprocessor, original media content, over a communication network, to acommunication device associated with a user, wherein the communicationdevice initiates playback of the original media content; ranking, by theprocessing system, a group of alternate media content according to afirst popularity based on a plurality of social media connections of theuser resulting in a ranked group of alternate media content;determining, by the processing system, to replace a portion of theoriginal media content with alternate media content; identifying, by theprocessing system, a first alternate media content from the ranked groupof alternate media content; and providing, by the processing system,over the communication network, the first alternate media content to thecommunication device, wherein the communication device replaces theportion of the original media content with the first alternate mediacontent, wherein replacing the portion of the original media contentwith the first alternate media content comprises adjusting image contentof the first alternate media content resulting in a first adjustedalternate media content, wherein the communication device presents thefirst adjusted alternate media content.